The death in China of Neil Heywood, the British businessman, took on a series of dramatic twists yesterday as it was disclosed that President Barack Obama was taking personal interest in the alleged murder. Mr Obama was informed of suspicions over Mr HeywoodÂ’s death within hours of a Chinese police chief walking into an American consulate and telling officials that the Briton was murdered.
Mr Obama was briefed immediately on the suspected poisoning of the 41 year-old, which Chinese officials are linking to Mr HeywoodÂ’s powerful political allies, when American diplomats were told of the murder allegation.
Gu Kailai, Mr HeywoodÂ’s former business partner and the wife of Bo Xilai, a senior politician who had been tipped for the highest political office, is suspected of ordering the BritonÂ’s murder in a case at the centre of a political storm in China. The couple have disappeared from sight as the Communist Party attempts to regain stability.
| Much more at the link, including a basic primer on the events surrounding the murder and a lot of information about the Gu family, one of the 'princes' running China today. This was no ordinary murder, and the disclosure that Champ is being briefed suggests strongly that there's something to all the rumors about very high level political unrest -- and perhaps a coup attempt -- in Beijing. Definitely worth watching. |
|